BREAKING - Castleford Tigers new stadium dream a step closer

Sam Cooper

The government has said it does not need to call in the planning application for the £135m Five Towns Park which includes a new stadium for Castleford Tigers.

Wakefield Council approved the original planning application back in February.

An artist's impression of how the Castleford Five Towns Park will look

But due to the size of the scheme the application was sent to Department for Communities and Local Government.

But the government has today (Friday) said it does not need to assess the application.

The £135m development proposal, planned for land just off junction 32 of the M62 at Glass Houghton, also includes shops and a country park.

Steve Gill, Tigers’ chief executive, said: “We are still waiting for this to be 100 per cent confirmed at our end but this is massive news not just for the club but for the town.

“It means we can take the club forward and it means we won’t be scraping around every year for money.

“But for me, it’s about more than the stadium.

“It means so much to the Cas people.

“It’s going to bring 2,000 jobs and that is something we, as a town, massively need.

“It’s great news for the Tigers’ fans as well.

“Our dream has finally come to fruition and I would like to thank everybody who has helped us along the way.”

The development is planned to be built on land between Stainburn Avenue and Spittal Hardwick Lane and will include a 10,000-capacity stadium as well as new food store, petrol station, high-quality shops and a country park.

Yvette Cooper, MP for Pontefract and Castleford, said: “This is brilliant news and shows that all our lobbying and campaigning for the new stadium has paid off. Thousands of local people have been campaigning for this, and it’s a long overdue chance for the top class facilities Cas Tigers and the town really need.

“We’ve been arguing for a new stadium for over ten years - so this should be the last hurdle now, because we need to get on with it. I love the atmosphere at Wheldon Road but it’s time the team had the best facilities.

“Cas Tigers do so much at the heart of our town, that’s why the town has backed the club so strongly to get the new stadium now.”

A DCLG spokesman said: “Ministers have carefully considered the Five Towns Park planning application against the government’s call-in policy and decided that the application should be left with the local council to decide.

“Call-in of planning applications is used for only a small number of planning cases of more than local significance and Ministers believe planning decisions should be made at the local level wherever possible.”

It is expected to create around 2,000 jobs and contribute around £7m to the local economy.

Philip Lunn, managing director of Lateral Property Group, said: “We welcome the secretary of state’s decision not to ‘call-in’ the Five Towns Park planning application and to allow Wakefield Council’s decision to stand. This is a significant step towards the delivery of this development.

“I am sure that many people within the community will be delighted with this news. We expect to make further announcements soon.”